Cromwell’s Beach shark attack survivor continues recovery

News admin June 4, 2026 0 Comments

Cromwell’s Beach shark attack survivor continues recovery

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Veteran Oahu surfer Koa Smith is recovering after a shark attack off Oahu’s South Shore left him with serious injuries to both legs.

Smith, 38, was surfing at Kaikoos on Saturday morning when he said he felt something grabbed him from behind.

“It really did feel like somebody just came from behind, grabbed my ankle and pulled,” Smith said. “And I was just confused. So I turned around to see who’s doing this, who’s grabbing me. And yeah, it was just a shark.”

Smith believes the animal was an approximately 8-foot Galapagos shark.

Despite suffering severe injuries to his leg and foot, Smith managed to make it back to shore at nearby Cromwell’s Beach. He then crawled across the sand and yelled for help before three bystanders rushed to assist him until first responders arrived.

Smith said the attack left him with a 10-inch wound on one leg and a 5-inch wound on the other.

“It’s my left leg. The whole side of my calf is pretty much wide open,” he said. “And then my right foot has a pretty big gash on it. Yeah, so it got both legs.”

The husband and father of two underwent multiple surgeries following the attack and remains hospitalized at The Queen’s Medical Center.

His wife, Dennae Smith, recalled learning about the incident when Smith’s brother came to their home.

“Koa’s brother actually came to our bedroom window and was yelling for me,” she said. “The first thing he said was, ‘He’s okay.’ But he got attacked by a shark.”

Dennae Smith said she and her husband faced difficult conversations with their children as the family processed the incident.

“They had a lot of really intelligent questions about it,” she said. “Our son understood a little bit more than our four-year-old. He was really bummed that Koa didn’t have a shark tooth to have as a souvenir, but they took it really well.”

Smith, an Oahu-born surfer and self-employed carpenter, spent four years working as a Coast Guard lifeguard. He said the ocean has been a central part of his life for decades.

“I’ve been in the water my entire life,” Smith said. “Surfing over 30 years, but I also dive, body surf, body board. Pretty much my entire life is in the ocean.”

Doctors expect Smith to make a full recovery in about six weeks, and he could be released from the hospital as soon as this weekend.

Despite the attack, Smith said he has no plans to stay out of the water permanently.

“Just watching on Instagram all the waves that I’m missing kind of sucks,” he said. “But as soon as the doctors let me, I’m back out there.”